In copiers of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. applications Ser. Nos. 901,119; 901,203;, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,578; 901,204; and 901,205; respectively filed on Apr. 28, 1978, in the name of the present inventor and assigned to the assignee of the present invention; there is disclosed a copier which includes a reciprocable document transporting carriage which is moved through a document illuminating station, from its home position, in timed relationship with the passage of copy paper through a cutting station and an illuminating station. The copier includes a switch at the illuminating station which is actuated by the leading edge of the copy paper to commence movement of the carriage and to light a high intensity lamp for illuminating the document being moved through the illuminating station by the carriage. In the course of movement of the carriage, the carriage operates copy paper cutting means at the cutting station. If the trailing edge of the copy paper does not release the switch to permit extinguishing the lamps and returning the carriage to the home position, the cutting knife will not cut a length of copy paper from the copy paper roll; the lamps will remain lit and copy paper will continue to be fed from the copy paper roll until the entire roll of copy paper passes through the illuminating station. If this occurs, the supply of copy paper will become depleted and the seals in the vicinity of the illuminating station may become overheated by the high intensity lamp. Accordingly:
An object of the present invention is to provide, in a copier which includes a document transporting carriage reciprocable from a home position and through a document illuminating station, apparatus for disabling the copier in the event that the carriage does not return to the home position after a predetermined time interval from commencement of movement of the carriage;
Another object is to provide, in a copier including means for energizing the copier, apparatus for deenergizing the copier a predetermined time interval after document copying is commenced if the carriage is not moved from the home position; and
Yet another object is to provide a copier including means for deenergizing the copier in the event that the carriage is not returned to the home position in a predetermined time interval.